I live in the west of Glasgow and the botanics are about a 20 minute walk through lovely West End streets and lanes from my flat. The Gardens themselves are beautiful in any season , but I think particularly in winter as they take on an almost ethereal vintage look and there are hardly any other people about. If you need to warm up a bit you can then enter the welcome warmth of the glass houses. Often in winter particularly December there will also be a lovely design/craft event in the Kibble Palace which means you can also pick up some beautiful Christmas gifts without any pain. After this the perfect route home is via a stop at any of the numerous independent coffee shops on Byres Rd, a stroll along the cobbles of Ashton lane and home.